Japan's Saito, China's No. 4 Confirm Importance of Free Trade

   Beijing, April 23 (Jiji Press)--Tetsuo Saito, head of Japanese junior ruling party Komeito, met with the Communist Party of China's fourth-ranking Wang Huning on Wednesday and confirmed the importance of free trade.
   It was the first meeting between a Japanese politician and a member of Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership team since the United States imposed the first round of what it calls reciprocal tariffs on trading partners early this month.
   In their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Saito handed Wang, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a letter to Xi from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
   Wang said in the meeting that the two countries should contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in Asia and the world by responding to challenges hand in hand, with U.S. tariff measures in mind.
   Saito responded that "the important Japan-China relationship must be passed on to future generations."

(2025/04/23-18:32)